This is the first application filed for the present invention.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates in general to methods and apparatus for installing wellhead equipment in live wells, and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for inserting a tubing hanger into a tubing head spool installed on a live well.
Production tubing is commonly used in oil wells for production purposes after an oil well has been completed or recompleted. Wells are frequently stimulated during the completion and recompletion processes. During well stimulation, high pressure fluids are pumped at high rates into one or more production zones of the well in order to fracture the hydrocarbon bearing formations to release trapped hydrocarbons. After the well has been completed or recompleted, fluid pressures in the well are typically greater than atmospheric pressure, and must be contained in order to prevent the loss of hydrocarbons to atmosphere.
In many cases, after a well is stimulated, well operators prefer to prepare the well for production without xe2x80x9ckillingxe2x80x9d the well. A well is killed by pumping overbearing fluids into the well to contain fluid pressures in the well. Killing the well is generally considered undesirable because the kill fluids can potentially hinder production by disturbing the affects of the well treatment procedure. Consequently, production tubing is generally run into the live well using injection methods that are well known in the art. When the production tubing is run into a live well, a retrievable plug is first inserted into the bottom end of the tubing. This prevents hydrocarbons from escaping through the production tubing as it is run into the well. Jointed tubing or coil tubing may be used for production. In either case, tubing rams on blowout preventers (BOPs) are used to seal around the tubing while the tubing is being run into the well. If jointed tubing is used, the tubing is generally run through a snubbing unit, as is well understood in the art.
After the production tubing string has been run into the well, however, a tubing hanger must be set in the tubing head spool to suspend the production tubing string in the well. The tubing hanger is connected to a top end of the tubing string, and special equipment is required to run the tubing hanger into the tubing spool.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of equipment that is frequently used to install a tubing hanger on a live well, generally indicated by reference 10. The live well includes a casing spool 12, to which a tubing head spool 14 is mounted. Tubing head spool 14 generally includes one or more tubing head valves 16, which communicate with an annulus of the well in a manner well known in the art. Mounted to a top of the tubing head spool is a ram-type blowout preventer (BOP) 18 having a set of opposed tubing rams 20, which are used to close an annulus of the well bore around a production tubing of a known diameter, and a set of opposed blind rams 22 which are used to completely block the annulus but cannot be used to close around tubing or other components. Mounted to the top of the ram-type BOP is an annular BOP 24, available, for example, from Hydril Company, Houston, Tex. The annular BOP 24 employs a flexible rubber packing unit to provide pressure seal-off at the wellhead. The annular BOP can contain annulus pressure on an open hole or around tubular elements inserted into the well, such as production tubing 30 and tubing hanger 32. The production tubing 30 and the tubing hanger 32 are inserted into the well using a landing joint 34 controlled by blocks 36 of a service rig, the remainder of which is not shown. Service rigs are well known in the art.
The paired BOPs shown in FIG. 1 are capable of sealing around the production tubing 30, a tubing collar (not shown), the tubing hanger 32, and the landing joint 34 as they are respectively run into the live well bore. These respective components run through the BOPs to the tubing head spool 14 in the order specified. The landing joint 34 is screwed into a top of the tubing hanger 32 and is connected to the blocks 36 of the service rig. The respective components are then stepped through the BOPs 24, 18 as the pipe rams 20 and the annular BOP 24 are opened and closed in sequence to permit the tubing hanger to be inserted into the tubing head spool while the live well is under pressure. Although this procedure is known to work reliably and has been approved by regulatory authorities, it has several disadvantages. First, the respective BOPs 18, 24 add significantly to the height over the well, thus making the floor of the rig (not shown) very high and a potentially dangerous place to work. Furthermore, in certain jurisdictions safety laws require that a completion rig be moved away from the well before and during a well stimulation treatment, in order to provide adequate working space in the case of emergency. After well stimulation is completed, the rig must be moved back over the well, usually for the sole purpose of landing the tubing hanger and installing the wellhead after the tubing hanger has been landed in the live well. This is a costly operation, and it would be more cost-effective and beneficial if the well operator were able to release the service rig after the tubing is run into the well, to clear valuable work area and to reduce expense by releasing the service rig as early as possible.
Consequently, there exists a need for a method and apparatus for setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool on a live well which is easier and more cost-effective than the known method described above.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool on a subterranean well in which a fluid pressure in the well is greater than atmospheric pressure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool on a subterranean well in which a fluid pressure in the well is greater than atmospheric pressure.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool on a live well without the use of a service rig.
The invention therefore provides an apparatus for setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool in a subterranean well in which a fluid pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure. Such wells are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9clive wellsxe2x80x9d. The apparatus comprises a landing spool which is mounted to a ram-type blowout preventer (BOP). The BOP is in turn mounted to the tubing head spool. The landing spool includes a flange for sealing attachment to the BOP and a top end through which a landing joint is reciprocated. The top end of the landing spool provides a high-pressure seal to prevent an escape of hydrocarbons as all the landing joint is reciprocated therethrough. A sidewall of the landing spool preferably includes a pressure bleed port to permit an equalization of pressure between the landing spool and the well, or an equalization of pressure between the landing spool and atmosphere. Lifting hooks or eyes are also provided on the sidewall of the landing spool, to permit the connection of flexible members, such as chains or cables, to support the landing spool before it is connected to a top flange of the BOP.
The top end of the landing spool through which the landing joint is reciprocated includes a packing cavity that receives high-pressure packing, such as Chevron packing. The high-pressure packing is retained in the packing cavity by a packing nut, such as a gland nut, well known in the art. The packing nut is preferably reinforced by a safety nut that engages a threaded outer perimeter of the top end of the landing spool. The safety nut has an inwardly-extending top wall that closely surrounds the landing joint and covers the gland nut to ensure that the high-pressure packing is not ejected by fluid pressures in the live well.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further includes a lifting spool adapted to be mounted between the landing spool and the BOP. The lifting spool includes a bottom flange adapted to be mounted to a top of the BOP and a top flange to which the landing spool is mounted. Both the top and bottom flanges of the lifting spool are adapted to accommodate high-pressure gaskets to provide a high-pressure fluid seal between adjacent components. The lifting spool includes at least two attachment points for the connection of lift mechanisms for supporting and vertically displacing a lifting beam to which a top end of the landing joint is connected. By actuating the lift mechanisms, the landing joint and the attached tubing hanger and production tubing string may be lifted to release slips supporting the tubing, or lowered to inject the tubing hanger into the tubing spool. The lift mechanisms are preferably hydraulic cylinders, although other lift mechanisms such as ball jacks, or the like, may be used. The attachment points are, for example, slots formed in a top of respective lift arms of the lifting spool. Transverse bores pierce the slots. The slots receive mounting lugs which are likewise pierced by a transverse bore. Pins pass through the transverse bores in the lift arms and the mounting lugs to secure the lift mechanisms to the lifting spool.
The lifting beam is attached to the rams to support the landing joint as described above. The landing joint is preferably connected to the lift beam by a swivel joint or a hydraulic motor. If a swivel joint is used, the landing joint may be rotated using a wrench, to connect the landing joint to a top of the tubing hanger, as well as to swivel the production tubing if a downhole packer, hanger, plug or some other downhole attachment must be set. A hydraulic motor is used for the same purpose and is beneficial if the well is deep and long runs of tubing must be manipulated in order to seat a downhole packer, or the like.
The lifting beam preferably further includes pulleys, winches or come-alongs mounted adjacent the lift mechanisms. The pulleys, winches or come-alongs control the cables or chains used to support the landing spool before it is connected to a top flange of the lifting spool. After the landing joint is connected to the tubing hanger and slips supporting the tubing are removed, the landing spool is lowered, using the pulleys, winches or come-alongs, onto a top flange of the lifting spool and the landing spool is connected to the lifting spool to provide a fluid-tight seal around the landing joint.
The invention further provides a method of setting a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool of a subterranean well in which a fluid pressure in the well is higher than atmospheric pressure. The method comprises steps of supporting a plugged tubing string run into the well through a BOP. The tubing string is supported using slips to inhibit the tubing string from falling into the well, so that a tubing hanger can be connected to a top end of the tubing string. The landing spool and landing joint are hoisted into vertical alignment with the tubing hanger and the landing joint is connected to the tubing hanger. A lift mechanism is connected to a top end of the landing joint and the landing joint and the tubing string are raised to free the slips. After the slips are removed, the tubing hanger is lowered into a top of the BOP and the landing spool is lowered and connected to a top flange of the BOP. Fluid pressure between an annulus of the well and the landing spool is equalized. Fluid pressure is equalized using, for example, a bleed hose connected between a valve on the tubing head spool and a bleed port on the landing spool. After pressure is equalized, pipe rams on the BOP are opened and the tubing hanger is injected into the tubing head spool. Lockdown nuts on the tubing head spool are used to lock the tubing hanger in the tubing head spool and the landing joint is disconnected from the tubing hanger. The landing joint is then withdrawn and blind rams on the BOP are closed. Thereafter, pressure is bled from the landing spool and the landing spool is removed. Once the tubing hanger is secured in the tubing head spool, the BOP can be removed from the well. A wellhead can then be mounted to the tubing head spool in order to complete preparation of the well for production of hydrocarbons.
Thereafter, pressure between the wellhead and the annulus of the well can be equalized and the plug in the bottom end of the tubing removed using, for example, a wireline run down through the production tubing.
The invention further provides a method of installing a tubing hanger in a tubing head spool in a well in which fluid pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure without the use of a service rig. In accordance with the method, a lifting spool is mounted to a top of a BOP that is mounted above a tubing head spool of the live well. A plugged tubing is run into the well through the lifting spool on the BOP. The plugged tubing is supported with slips at a top flange of the lifting spool to inhibit the tubing string from falling into the well. A landing spool with a landing joint and lift mechanisms adapted for connection to the lifting spool are hoisted into vertical alignment with the tubing hanger. The lift mechanisms are connected to the lifting spool and the landing joint is connected to the tubing hanger. The lift mechanisms are actuated to lift the tubing hanger to release the slips. The slips are removed and the tubing hanger is lowered into the lifting spool. The landing spool is then lowered and sealingly connected to a top of the lifting spool. Pressure is equalized between an annulus of the well and the lifting spool. Thereafter, the BOPs are opened and the lift mechanisms are actuated to lower the tubing hanger into the tubing head spool.
After the tubing hanger has been lowered into the tubing head spool, the tubing hanger is locked in the tubing head spool using the lockdown screws. The landing joint is then disconnected from the tubing hanger and raised above blind rams of the BOPs. The blind rams are closed, pressure is bled from the landing spool and the landing spool and the lifting spool are removed from the wellhead along with the lift mechanisms. Thereafter, the BOPs may be removed and a wellhead installed as described above.